Schulz defends avoidance of "K-State" nickname in national circles

Kansas State University President Kirk Schulz juggles the reality of flat state funding to higher education, signs students are racking up huge college debt and missed opportunities created by upper-tier athletic programs.

All the while, the third-year president plows ahead with a daunting goal of lifting Kansas State into ranks of the top 50 public research universities by 2025. That will require the university to eclipse as many as 40 competitors nationwide.

Schulz said Kansas State would begin rising to a peer of Iowa State University, North Carolina State University or Colorado State University by making certain over the next year that faculty and staff members were working from the same playbook.

"I argue that Kansas State has never had a really effective plan for what they want to do in the future," Schulz said in an interview at The Topeka Capital-Journal on Tuesday. "We've kind of grown organically. If we saw an opportunity, we responded to it. But there wasn't a set of clear objectives that you said, 'OK, here is what we want all employees working towards.' "

His strategy — escalate private giving to the land-grant university in Manhattan, lean on increases in student tuition and fees as long as enrollment continued to climb, and advance the country's understanding of the quality of education and research offered at Kansas State.

Schulz had an unexpected hiccup while outlining one element of the reform plan during a recent speech in Manhattan.

During remarks to Gov. Sam Brownback's council of economic advisers, he spoke about the idea of making certain official materials distributed outside the region no longer used the shorthand name K-State.

The change, chronicled in a newspaper story, was designed to prevent outsiders from confusing activities at Kansas State University with events at other "KS" schools, such as Kennesaw State University in Kennesaw, Ga., Kentucky State University in Frankfort, Ky., and Kent State University in Kent, Ohio.

Some Kansas State alumni let Schulz know any movement to diminish the K-State nickname would be viewed with displeasure.

"The angry emails started coming in about how I didn't understand the institution," Schulz said.

He said the university's policy is to use K-State and Kansas State University interchangeably in accordance with the setting.

"As we are out trying to brand ourselves nationally, it's important you sort of use both where it makes some sense," he said. "When our faculty and students do something significant, and we publicize it, I want people to realize what university they're actually coming from. That's why you will see Kansas State University, deliberately, in a lot of that."

Schulz said prospects of the Kansas State Wildcats playing in a football bowl game close to New Year's Day should be recognized as a chance to introduce the university to a broader audience. Perhaps through the purchase of television advertising in the game, he said, more folks can develop an appreciation for what Kansas State offered.

"We need to make sure we utilize this opportunity to the fullest," the president said of the university's athletic prominence. "I would argue we have not utilized it the way we ought to."

He said U.S. higher education institutions had to adjust to diminished resources from state taxpayers for basic operations. Responding to increases in utilities costs, health insurance premiums and other necessities mean administrators have to turn to a reliable source of cash.

"That means you will shift your funding models more to tuition and fees," Schulz said. "This is happening across the country."

He said enrollment at Kansas State increased this fall to a record 24,300 despite five years of tuition and fee hikes.

He appreciated that more families were struggling to send children to college and more students were graduating with hefty loan portfolios.

There is a tipping point in terms of student tolerance of rate hikes, he said, but that red line is an unknown commodity.

"At 5 percent or 6 percent every year," Schulz said, "there will be a point if we're not careful where all of the sudden enrollment starts to plummet because people just can't afford to pay the tuition and fees. We've got to be careful with that."

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tuition is going up all over the country. Not just Kansas. I suppose that that is Brownback's fault as well? Please tell me how it is Brownback's fault when the price of tuition has gone up every year, even including when Sebelius was in office? To blame Brownback for the rise in tuition is ridiculous.

A goal with a fourteen year target is of liitle value for accountability purposes. I wonder if Pres. Schulz will even be here in 2025? This is Academia at its best, a lot of high sounding words with very little meaning. It would be much better to see interim goals for every two or three years along the way. Absent that, please explain how progress can be measured, maybe Schulz does not want the accountability for himself.

A goal with a fourteen year target is of liitle value for accountability purposes. I wonder if Pres. Schulz will even be here in 2025? This is Academia at its best, a lot of high sounding words with very little meaning. It would be much better to see interim goals for every two or three years along the way. Absent that, please explain how progress can be measured, maybe Schulz does not want the accountability for himself.

News for all the future students and parents. Romney/Ryan's plan is to cut millions from Pell grants so less money or go elsewhere for high interest loans. Come on, rich people need those tax cuts do they can some day be job creators. They haven't done in with 10 years of cuts, but maybe, probably, could be. Less federal money means less state money.

Digger66, some very smart people make the case that the more you increase Pell grants, the more universities raise tuition to cover the increase-----hence, Pell grant increases really go to institutions, not to students.

I don't know if that's entirely true or not, but I do think one should seriously consider that point. Logic would seem to say there is SOME merit to it.

Would tuition increase the same without Pell grants? We don't really know, but people would more readily demand university accountability. Who does that now?

probably unrealistic in that trying to get most of the faculty with differing interests and educational philosophies to "pull together" is basically herding cats. As an alumnus of K-State, I wish them well. It is possible to achieve recognition for excellent research in selected areas, which K-State has done, but to achieve the top 50 ranking means recognition across most of the areas in which the university does research.

@ak4ksu: Obviously, the Governor of Kansas isn't responsible for cutbacks in education funding in other states, but people with his attitude certainly are.

For any state university to keep growing, more money is needed. There are basically three sources: tax money, tuition and fees, and contributions. Which of the three do you think is most likely to increase?

Attaining elite status among universities brings more recognition for those who teach and do research at a university plus brings in more dollars for more research which should largely be applied toward solving problems, finding cures, improving lives, etc. However, continuing to increase the cost of education for the student and parent simply reduces the number of students who can afford college, or causes the student to borrow more money which in turn burdens the student with debt upon graduating. While I applaud President Schulz for wanting to achieve recognition for KSU I would applaud louder if he focused as much time and energy on finding ways to reduce the overall costs for students and their parents, allowing even more deserving but perhaps less financially able students attend college, instead of pushing the limit on affordability until enrollment numbers begin to drop.

is still a bargain compared to peer institutions. the president's goals are appropriate and laudable. kids come to k-state because they love the place, and because it yields a valuable education going forward. he needs to insure that continues, and that the land grant focus remains - educating kansans. we are fortunate to have this guy at the helm. he's very good.